Leatherman SideClip Review

Once in a while a design comes along that seems innovative, and many of those that do come along just miss the mark due to one problem or another. The Leatherman SideClip is an innovative design but was discontinued some time ago. In my mind, this simply screamed “bad design” to me. I decided to pick one up after some members on the forum raved about how good it was. I figured, at the very least it was worth adding one to my collection. Once again, I was happy to be proven wrong.

I opened the box and was immediately impressed by the size and weight, but it still struck me as odd that anyone would want to carry a bulky multitool on a pocket clip. I’ll tell you one thing- I am glad that not more multitools are designed this well or I’ll need a therapist to restore my self esteem from being wrong so much! The SideClip rides very nicely in the pocket- better than some tactical folders I’ve owned, and much greater versatility.

The tool selection is good- not great, but well suited to a light tool. One side has a couple of flathead screwdrivers and a blade, while the other side is equipped with a phillips head, small flathead and can opener. I personally don’t like that many flathead screwdrivers- I mean, how many flatheads does one person need? It seems to me that flatheads are kind of a cop out. They are simple designs that don’t take a lot of effort to make or design and take up space that would be better suited to other tools that are more expensive to include. I personally think that this tool would benefit from at least one less flathead and either a metal saw/file or woodsaw. Or both, and two less flatheads. Of course, that would have driven the price of the tool higher, perhaps into the range of the PST II and that would defeat the purpose of a smaller tool.

The plier head is typical of Leatherman at the time, virtually identical to those on the PST and PST II.

All in all, this is a great tool that probably won’t make it into your collection box as you’ll want to carry this one a fair bit. It’s pretty handy and as a small tool it won’t get in the way. You won’t even notice this one in your pocket except when you need it to save the day!

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